Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Cape Girardeau, Missouri

The Clear Creek Levee Road parallels IL Route 3 North and South connecting the dots with a lot of routes that lead to Shawnee National Forest and other trails. It's a simple gravel road with the occasional pothole or dirt section but is worth adding to your drive if you want to avoid main roads or t...
Learn more about Clear Creek Levee Road

McCraven SFR 220 is a very scenic nature-viewing gravel road in Shawnee National Forest. It is a very easy trail with a minimal challenge, but there are a few muddy crossings and water collection spots within its medium-grade graveled hills. It also features a couple of branch trails, the SFR 504 an...
Learn more about McCraven SFR 220

The Slick Ridge FSR 262G is a mildly challenging natural fire road that has the reward of a great view of Shawnee National Forest. It features an off-camber eroded section that will test your articulation and clearances. It runs you through several small mud holes and a small grade with tree roots. ...
Learn more about Slick Ridge FSR 262G

Wolf Creek Road is a gravel road running through a section of the Shawnee National Forest. It clocks in at 3.8 miles, leading slowly downhill from the hills of the Mississippi Bluffs into the low-laying land of central southern IL. It has 2 concrete-bottomed low-water bridges that may turn into shal...
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Delta Road and Moad Hollow Road are the precursors to the Opossum Trot Trail System within Shawnee National Forest. This gravel road features an easy cruise leading you through the Illinois countryside showing off its lowland valley beauty. You'll eventually be going into the rolling hills of Shawne...
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Old Goat SFR 625 and 625A is a State Forest Road in Shawnee National Forest. The road is short at only 1.1 miles long, but packs a punch, dipping through a creek bottom shortly after climbing a steep grade while circling around the first main hill. The hill features small ruts and gravel fading to d...
Learn more about Old Goat SFR 625 & 625A

Opossum Trot Road SFR 628 is a scenic well-maintained gravel road through Shawnee National Forest. The trail features great views and ease of driving, but if you are looking for a thrill, it has a few branch trails that lead off it with some medium to hard challenges. Overall, the Opossum Trot is yo...
Learn more about Opossum Trot Road SFR 628

The Bollinger Mill Road, also known as Cape Girardeau County Road 360, is a gravel county road that leads to the Bollinger Mill State Historical Site. The gravel road is well maintained but comes full of views and scenery of the farmland neighboring the Mill and Upper Whitewater River, the road come...
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The Lovejoy Creek Road, also known as the Cape Girardeau County Road 532, is one of the last true creek bottom roads in Cape Girardeau County. The road on both ends is maintained with gravel by the County Highway Department, but the center section still travels over the natural creek bed of Lovejoy ...
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The South Silica Hill Road is a gravel road headed south off the Silica Hill trail system through Shawnee National Forest. It is a gravel road at the base, featuring a mild-grade hill from where it branches south off the SFR 645. This hill features a campsite cut-out perfect for overlanding. Then th...
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Grabber SFR 264 is a 1.7-mile-long forestry road through Shawnee National Forest. It traverses some of the steepest graveled hills in the SW corner of the forest, climbing a total of 406 feet from its entry point to its highest point. It has mild rutting on nearly all inclines, some being medium in ...
Learn more about Grabber SFR 264

The West Silica Hill Road SFR 645 is a 1.3-mile-long forestry road through Shawnee National Forest. As you travel the road, grades come in waves from gradual incline to steep grades. These steep grades include tight turns, medium-sized ruts, bare dirt sections, and some mild water collection spots. ...
Learn more about Silica Hill Road SFR 645

Whitney Hollow Road is an easy 2.7-mile gravel route through the Shawnee National Forest, perfect for stock four-wheel-drive vehicles, SxSs, and overland rigs seeking a scenic dirt alternative to regional pavement. Connecting the Silica Hill section to the Opossum Trot section of the forest, the tra...
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The N Hamburg Hill Spur 266AA, within Shawnee National Forest, is a trail that once was traversable by full-width vehicles, but in its current state should only be trekked by dirt bikes and 4-wheelers, within the first .1 mile there is a turnaround/parking area to unload, but from there on, the trai...
Learn more about N Hamburg Hill Spur

As a branch of Atwood Road 266, the Hamburg 266A is a bit more of an offroading road and less of a scenic road within Shawnee National Forest. It has an off-camber hill within .2 of the entrance followed by many water collection areas that get muddy, the gravel fades in on the hilltops and out in th...
Learn more about Hamburg SFR 266A

Wilderness Retreat Road is a scenic 2.5-mile gravel connector trail in the Shawnee National Forest, perfect for beginners and seasoned drivers looking to stay off the pavement between more challenging routes. This easy-going dirt and gravel route features a mild 193-foot elevation gain as it winds t...
Learn more about Wilderness Retreat Road

East Detla Road, is the eastern section of the road going through Shawnee National Forest connecting the Opossum Trot Trail System to Elco, IL. The road is a steady uphill climb when headed west, gaining 275 feet over it's trek. The gravel road is mild and only shows slight rutting, washing, and mou...
Learn more about East Delta Road

Burner Hill FSR 620 is an old gravel forestry road in the southern area of the Mississippi Bluffs sector of Shawnee National Forest. The road seems near-forgotten, and shows little signs of use or maintenance. Fallen trees add to the fun and challenge of weaving your way to the top of the road. The ...
Learn more about Burner Hill FSR 620

Atwood Road SFR 266 is a Shawnee National Forest state forest road that travels to the old Atwood lookout tower site. The hill's grade is one of the steepest and tallest in the area right at a 500-foot elevation climb within 1.5 miles. The road features sections of well-maintained gravel along with ...
Learn more about Atwood Road SFR 266

South Forest Road is the gravel-based southern forest loop within the Illinois Trail of Tears State Forest. It features a one-way track from the western entry to the east exit on the paved State Forest Road. The area features a yearly closure from December 24th to the end of the wild Turkey Season (...
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McCraven SFR 220 is a very scenic nature-viewing gravel road in Shawnee National Forest. It is a very easy trail with a minimal challenge, but there are a few muddy crossings and water collection spots within its medium-grade graveled hills. It also features a couple of branch trails, the SFR 504 an...
Learn more about McCraven SFR 220

The Slick Ridge FSR 262G is a mildly challenging natural fire road that has the reward of a great view of Shawnee National Forest. It features an off-camber eroded section that will test your articulation and clearances. It runs you through several small mud holes and a small grade with tree roots. ...
Learn more about Slick Ridge FSR 262G

The N Hamburg Hill Spur 266AA, within Shawnee National Forest, is a trail that once was traversable by full-width vehicles, but in its current state should only be trekked by dirt bikes and 4-wheelers, within the first .1 mile there is a turnaround/parking area to unload, but from there on, the trai...
Learn more about N Hamburg Hill Spur

This is a maintained gravel road with an occasional flat natural rock sticking up in the middle of the road. This trail features beautiful tall pines and areas you can see for miles. The road leads up a steep grade that may include washboards and mild washes when the season is wet and conditions are...
Learn more about Natural Bridge Road

The Clear Creek Levee Road parallels IL Route 3 North and South connecting the dots with a lot of routes that lead to Shawnee National Forest and other trails. It's a simple gravel road with the occasional pothole or dirt section but is worth adding to your drive if you want to avoid main roads or t...
Learn more about Clear Creek Levee Road

McCraven SFR 220 is a very scenic nature-viewing gravel road in Shawnee National Forest. It is a very easy trail with a minimal challenge, but there are a few muddy crossings and water collection spots within its medium-grade graveled hills. It also features a couple of branch trails, the SFR 504 an...
Learn more about McCraven SFR 220

The Slick Ridge FSR 262G is a mildly challenging natural fire road that has the reward of a great view of Shawnee National Forest. It features an off-camber eroded section that will test your articulation and clearances. It runs you through several small mud holes and a small grade with tree roots. ...
Learn more about Slick Ridge FSR 262G

Opossum Trot Road SFR 628 is a scenic well-maintained gravel road through Shawnee National Forest. The trail features great views and ease of driving, but if you are looking for a thrill, it has a few branch trails that lead off it with some medium to hard challenges. Overall, the Opossum Trot is yo...
Learn more about Opossum Trot Road SFR 628